A TALENTED Stone pistol shooter clinched a national bronze medal and was snapped up for an elite project aimed at nurturing prospective Olympic stars of the future.

Sixteen-year-old Harriet Watson finished third in the climax of the British Shooting schools’ pistol championships in Buckinghamshire, when she challenged the best senior competitors from five regions.

Her performance caught the eye of Project Pistol selectors, who signed her up to their specialist coaching scheme, which targets youngsters with potential to develop into world-class air pistol shooters for Paris 2024.

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This year’s championships began with 500 shooters from 217 schools and was divided into three age groups.

The in-form Stafford Grammar School (SGS) student was among 35 athletes who excelled in their regional qualifying events to reach the last stage of the mixed 16 to 21-year-old category at Stoke Mandeville Stadium.

After a tense opening when all competitors fired 20 shots, the field was whittled down to the last eight.

In front of team GB athlete Kristian Callaghan and 2016 Paralympian Issy Bailey, Harriet and the remaining finalists targeted 10 shots apiece and were placed in a league table aligned with their scores.

“To have Kristian and Issy watching at the firing line felt incredible,” said Harriet.